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He lived through two World Wars, the terms of seventeen Presidents, survived an economic depression and saw everything from the invention of the car to man first setting foot on the moon; DominicJosephGulinoJr. had witnessed it all. After nearly a century on this planet, I'm sure Dominic, the child of poor immigrants from Sicily, never imagined he would have accomplished so much. He could not have been more pleased with how his long life had turned out.

He was the second and final child born to Dominic Sr. and Sebastiana on August 3, 1917 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. To support his family, Dominic Sr. worked on the factory line at Ford Motor Company. Sadly, when Dominic was only a year and a half old, his mother, Sebastiana, would pass away suddenly. Dominic Sr. decided it was best to send Dominic and his older brother, Joseph, back to Sicily to be raised by their grandparents.

For the first eight years of Dominic's life, he would work on his grandparents rural farm which had no plumbing or electricity. The family worked as wine makers and Dominic would remember years later walking around in circles in the large vat that held the grapes for manual foot crushing.

At the age of eight, Dominic and his brother would return to Detroit to live with their father. He attended a local Catholic School up to the eighth grade and learned from an early age that life was not going to be easy for him. He spoke very little English making his studies quite difficult and at that time in history, there were no tutors to help struggling students like there are today.

After finishing school, Dominic would hold many odd jobs; most notably as a paperboy and later, with the help of his brother, would purchase a moving truck. Every few days, the two boys would drive up to Romeo, Michigan, buy large amounts of potatoes from the local farmers and drive back down to Detroit where they would sell the potatoes to several commercial markets, including Kroger and at the Eastern Market. Officials from the City of Detroit would later find out about Dominic and his new business venture. The officials made a lucrative offer to the boys that no one would have refused then or now; twenty dollars an hour to pick up loose wood, place it in their truck and hall it away. These were good times for young Dominic.

For a short time, after World War Two, Dominic would also own and operate a Coney Island restaurant on Woodward Avenue in Detroit that he purchased for thirty-five hundred dollars. Not long after, Dominic, while attending the wedding of a close friend, would meet the lady who was to become the love of his life for the next forty-three years, the former Angela Lodato. The two would date for a short period of time and later were married that same year at a Justice of the Peace in Ohio. The two would relocate to Angela's mother's house and later to their own home in East Detroit.

As time would go on, Dominic would begin his tenure as a truck driver for the Phillip Orlando Bakery Supply Company. Dominic, no stranger to hard work, was a very dedicated driver and was well respected by his employers and fellow workers. Dominic would drive for the company for thirty years, retiring in 1979.

As hard as Dominic worked, he still made time for his family which had grown to include two daughters, Sebastiana and Madeline and later five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was always there for his family and encouraged them in every way. Weekends were spent with his family and he kept his daughters active even teaching them how to play baseball in the backyard. Weekly date nights were spent with Angela where the two would dance for hours at their favorite hot spots which included Metro Beach and later the local Knights of Columbus hall. The two would jitterbug the night away and it's no secret what a great dancer Dominic was.

Yearly family trips were taken to many destinations; from New York City, Phoenix, and to Mackinac Island where Dominic would impress his family with his delicious spaghetti and sauce and wherever the family went, Dominic always had to drive!

In later years, Dominic, though older, still displayed no signs of slowing down. He never was sick and never relied on medication to keep him healthy. He kept his mind busy spending time with his growing family and playing cards at different recreational halls with the many friends he had made throughout the years. After Angela sadly passed away in 1991, Dominic, through his grief, realized he had to keep living and continued to stay busy doing all the things that had brought him pleasure while Angela was still with him. He kept a beautiful garden, drove everywhere (taking impeccable care of his cars) and cooked into his early nineties.

When asked what one must do to achieve his great longevity, Dominic would always reply, "live for the day!" The quiet man whose life had been full of years advised people to not hold grudges and let the past be the past. At the end of his long life, Dominic, who had started his journey in such meager means, was proud to have accomplished so many things and could not have been happier knowing that his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were so successful. They had all been taught well by their loving and caring patriarch.

On the afternoon of May 31, 2014, DominicJosephGulinoJr. made his peaceful transition surrounded by his loving family. He will be forever remembered as an understanding man who worked hard for everything he had and always taught quietly simply by his example.

Burial

Sacred Heart Cemetery, 18430 Utica Rd., Roseville, MI 48066Burial for Dominic Joseph Gulino, Jr.http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Dominic-Joseph-Gulino-101407509#serviceshttp://www.tributes.com/obituary/get_ics/101407509?service=2990420&tr=We will drive in procession to the cemetery where a final blessing will take place in the chapel.

We will drive in procession to the cemetery where a final blessing will take place in the chapel.

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